How Do Britain's Two Longest-Reigning Monarchs Compare?

Seondeok was the greatest queen in Korean history and the first to rule in her own right. She ascended the throne of Silla, one of the three kingdoms of ancient Korea, in 632. She sponsored the arts, sciences, and Buddhist scholarship. The period was also full of wars and male resentment of “women rulers,” but Seondeok held the kingdom together, and upon her death the crown passed peacefully to her chosen successor, her cousin Queen Jindeok.